Toledo man believed drowned after fall from boat

BLADE STAFF

A pair of women watch as a lone Coast Guard boat searches for a missing man in the Maumee River off of Cullen Park Monday.THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISONEnlarge
|
Buy This Photo

Toledo police Monday have identified Ricky Lopez of Rogers Street as a man who reportedly fell Sunday night from a boat into the Maumee River near Cullen Park in Point Place and was presumed to have drowned.

Christina Vasquez, of Oregon, who also was in the boat, was injured in the incident when she apparently hit her head, police said. She was taken to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesman.

The Toledo Fire Department’s water rescue unit, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Coast Guard, and Washington Township Fire Department have searched for the man since he fell overboard. His age was not released.

Coast Guard P.O. William Albrecht said the man went overboard about 8:15 p.m. after the boat, which was moving in the river, was rocked by the wake of another watercraft.

Another man and another woman were also in the boat, but they were not injured. A witness told police that the incident occurred when the boat operator gunned the engine to get to the shore, police said.

A coast guard vessel that was responding to another call came across the boat shortly after the accident, the coast guard said.

The search continued Monday. There was no word of charges in the incident.

Recommended for You

Guidelines: Please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. If a comment violates these standards or our privacy statement or visitor's agreement, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report abuse. To post comments, you must be a Facebook member. To find out more, please visit the FAQ.